Tamper-proof security device

ABSTRACT

A tamper-proof vehicle security device for lockable attachment to the coupling means of a trailer to prevent unauthorized securement of a driving vehicle to the trailer. The securing device includes a housing which surrounds the coupling means, and chain elements are moveable within the housing to lock the housing to the coupling means or permit removal of the securing device. The chain elements are operatively connected to a lock mechanism to effect a desired locking operation. The housing is provided with an exteriorly positioned handle to facilitate mounting and removal of the security device from the trailer.

ilted States Patent 1 Waldenstrom [111 3,744,284 [4 1 July 10,1973

1 1 TAMPER-PROOF SECURITY DEVICE [76] Inventor: Carl G. Waldenstrom,1015 W.

Medinah, Bensenville, 111. 60106 22 Filed: Feb. 22, 1972 21 Appl. No.:228,106

[52] US. Cl. 70/232 [51] Int. Cl. Fl6b 41/00 [58] Field of Search 70/14,229, 230,

70/231, 232, 258, 238; 280/438, 507; 287/130, 118; 24/211 M, 249, 299LL, 249 PP Primary ExaminerMarvin A. Champion Assistant ExaminerRichardP. Tremblay Attorney-Roy E. Petherbridge 5 7 ABSTRACT A tamper-proofvehicle security device for lockable attachment to the coupling means ofa trailer to prevent unauthorized securement of a driving vehicle to thetrailer. The securing device includes a housing which surrounds thecoupling means, and chain elements are moveable within the housing tolock the housing to the coupling means or permit removal of the securingdevice. The chain elements are operatively connected to a lock mechanismto effect a desired locking operation. The housing is provided with anexteriorly positioned handle to facilitate mounting and removal of thesecurity device from the trailer.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIEU JUL 1 0 I975 sum 2 0F 2TAMPER-PROOF SECURITY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates in general to a security device and in particular to a lockabledevice for preventing unauthorized coupling of a trailer and the like toa motorized vehicle.

More specifically, the invention relates to a tamperproof vehiclesecurity device for preventing unauthorized coupling of a trailer andthe like to a motorized vehicle wherein the device includes a housingfor lockable attachment to the coupling means provided on a trailer orother similar vehicle. The housing is provided with a chain means whichsubstantially surrounds the coupling means of the trailer and ismoveable from a locked position securing the housing thereto to aunlocked position which allows the housing to be removed for authorizedconnection of the trailer to a motorized vehicle. The novel design ofthe device of the invention provides an essentially tamper-proofstructure which makes unauthorized removal of the housing from thecoupling means of the trailer extremely diffi-- cult.

Conventionally, a trailer includes on its forward bottom underside acoupling means referred to as a king pin to which the fifth wheel of amotorized vehicle such as a tractor is connected during operation of thetractor and trailer. A significant problem encountered in the truckingindustry is the unauthorized coupling of a tractor to a detached trailerwhich results in considerable loss of equipment and cargo yearly.Numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to provide means toprevent the unauthorized coupling of a motorized vehicle to a parkedtrailer. Many of these devices are designed to be attached in a lockedrelationship on the king pin in such a manner that the existence of thedevice thereon will prevent normal coupling between the shaft and thefifth wheel of a van.

The prior art technique of locking a housing and the like to a king pinhas been deficient in several aspects wherein an important one of thesedisadvantages is the fact that the prior art device has not beenadequately tamper-proof to prevent unauthorized removal. Such adeficiency in the devices is present because of a lack of asufficient'locking contact between the king pin and the theft preventionmeans. It is often possible to dislodge such prior art theft preventersby striking the exterior of the housing of the security or by rammingthe device with a motorized vehicle. In addition to these defects inrelation to providing a tamper-proof mechanism, the prior art means forlocking trailers are also inefficient under certain environmentalconditions such as in very cold weather where the lock mechanisms aredifficult to operate. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a king pinlocking device which is relatively tamper-proof and which is bothefficient to use and inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention toprevent the coupling of a non-motorized trailer and the like to amotorized vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to improve the apparatus for lockingthe king pin of a trailer.

A further object of this invention is to increase the locking contactbetween a coupling means of a vehicle and a security device securedthereto.

Still another object of this invention is to attach a security device tothe king pin or other shaft by the use of a plurality of linkedelements.

These and other objects are attained in accordance with the presentinvention wherein there is provided a security device to preventunauthorized coupling or hitching of a motorized vehicle to a trailerand the like. The device of the invention includes a housing which isadapted to be locked on the king pin of the trailer in a manner thatcoupling between a motorized vehicle and a trailer is impossible whilethe security device is in position. The housing of the device includesan interiorly mounted lock mechanism having a plurality of linkedelements which substantially surround the peripheral surface of the kingpin to improve significantly the locking efficiency therebetween. Thenovel construction of the security device herein disclosed improves theprior art technique of preventing unauthorized removal of the housingfrom the king pinand is essentially tamper-proof. Moreover, the securitydevice of the invention is readily manipulated into operative positionor removed therefrom and can be operated under severe weatherconditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further objects of the invention, togetherwith additional features contributing thereto and advantages accruingtherefrom will be apparent from the following description of anembodiment of the invention when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side schematic illustration of the security device of theinvention in operative position on the king pin of a trailer andadjacent the fifth wheel of a motorized vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a top schematic illustration of the security device of theinvention in an unlocked position;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional illustration taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top schematic sectional illustration taken along line 44 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top schematic illustration of the security device of theinvention in a locked position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 there isillustrated an embodiment of the security device of the invention inoperative position to prevent the unauthorized coupling of a motorizedvehicle or van to a trailer and the like. The conventional trailer 1having a king pin 2 to which the fifth wheel or coupler 3 of a motorizedvan (not shown) interconnects during operation. Generally, the coupler 3includes a slot (not shown) in which the king pin interengages intolocked operative position during normal operation of a van and trailer.For convenience of illustration, the fifth wheel or coupler 3 is shownin FIG. 1 positioned beneath the king pin but it should be apparent thatduring normal interconnection of the van and trailer, the king pin andcoupler lie on the same horizontal plane for coupling. The presence ofthe security device of the invention on king pin 2 and will not permitthe slot of coupler 3 to interengage with the pin since the housing ofthe security device is significantly larger than the slot of thecoupler. Thus, when the security device of the invention is in position,it is not possible to achieve conventional coupling of a van to thetrailer through interconnection of the king pin and coupler.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5 there is illustrated an embodiment ofthe security device of the invention. The security device 10 includes ahollow cylindrical housing 11 constructed of a suitably strong materialsuch as steel, aluminum and the like to which an interiorly positionedbottom plate 12 is welded or otherwise secured as best shown in FIG. 3.A handle 13 having a grip portion 14 is attached to the exterior of thehousing to facilitate manipulation of the security device into positionor removal from a king pin. Near the top of the interior of housing 1 1,a ring 15 is welded or otherwise secured to the interior wall of thehousing in manner to reinforce the housing against any blows appliedexterior thereof. In addition, the inner edge 15' of ring 15 possessesan inner diameter corresponding substantially to the large outerdiameter of a conventional king pin so that the security device may bepositioned thereon. V

A second semi-circular ring 16 is secured to the inner periphery ofhousing 11 beneath upper ring 15 in a manner also to increase thestrength of the housing against exterior blows and to aid in the supportof the locking mechanism of the security device to be described indetail later. The semi-circular ring 16 extends for more than 180 aroundthe interior periphery of the housing and includes angular spaced ends16a and 16b. Semi-circular ring 16 includes a hole adjacent end 16awhich receives a chain supporting bolt 17 wherein the threaded end ofthe bolt 17 is received in the lower ring. The upper end of the bolt 17passes through upper ring 15 and it should be apparent that uponsecurity device 10 being locked into position on the king pin, access toscrew 17 is not possible. The portion of bolt 17 intermediate rings 15and 16 provides a retention post to which a chain 18 is suitablyattached at end 18a. Chain 18 includes a plurality of pairs of elements19 interconnected at a plurality of pivots 20 in a manner conventionalin the art. The pairs of elements 19 are advantageously spaced asillustrated in FIG. 3 to permit movement of lubricants during adverselycold weather conditions. However, it is within the scope of theinvention to utilize other conventional chain elements in the inventionif desired.

The other end 18b of chain 18 which is an unlocked position extendsadjacent the interior wall of housing 1 1 for a length approximatelyequal to the circumferential length of ring 16. A portion of chain 18adjacent end 18b projects beyond an end of semi-circular ring 16 andinterconnects with an upright post member which extends downward intothe housing past the bottom of lower semi-circular ring 16. Post member25 interconnects with a shaft 26 which is coupled to a coupling portionof a lock mechanism extending through the bottom wall 12 of the securitydevice. The lock mechanism may be of any suitable design and operable bya key in a manner to move the coupling means 27 through a desired arc.By moving coupler 27 through the use of the key, shaft 26 and post 25 inturn swing to move end 18b of chain 18. In an open position chain 18assumes a position directly beneath upper ring 15 to allow the housingto be attached or removed from a king pin. Upon the housing beingmounted on a king pin, the key is moved to cause the aforementionedmovement of shaft 26 through an arc corresponding substantially to thedistance between the ends and 16b of semi-circular ring 16.

Referring now to FIG. 4, movement of the end 18b of chain 18 causes theinner edges of the chain length to move inwardly toward the king pinexterior in a manner to embrace the conventional narrow portion orgroove of a king pin and lock the housing thereto. A portion of thechain remains in contact with ring 15 to achieve the desired lockingbetween the king pin and the housing. It can be appreciated in FIG. 5that end 18a of chain 18 in a locked position is closely adjacent to end18b resulting in the interior edges of the chain to substantiallysurround the exterior of the king pin. This increased surroundingcontact between the chian and the king pin greatly increases the lockingability of the security device. Moreover, the presence of a plurality ofpivots 20 of chain 18 prevents a tampteer from concentrating on one ortwo pivot points in order to break the securement of the security deviceto the king pin.

To provide smoother and more positive action of the chain during itslocking and unlocking movement, a resilient spring 30 in the form of awire, attached at one end to chain end 180, extends radially inward ofpivots 20 between links 19 of the chain in a manner to preventbacklashing thereof during operation. In addition, a rectangular uprightbar 33 is attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate 12 of thehousing and acts an an obstruction-when the housing is being mounted toprevent the king pin from striking the lock mechanism and causing damagethereto.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood by these skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that this inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A security device for surrounding lockable attachment to the kingpinof a trailer to prevent unauthorized coupling to a motorized vehiclecomprising a hollow housing having an opening for receiving a kingpin ofa trailer in surrounding relationship thereto,

lock means mounted within the housing for lockable attachment of thehousing to the kingpin,

said lock means including chain means movable from an unlocked positionout of contact with the kingpin on which the housing is mounted to alocked position in contact with the kingpin to secure the housingthereto, and

said chain means when in a locked position surrounding a substantialportion of the periphery of the kingpin.

2. The security device of claim 1 wherein the chain means includes aplurality of pairs of parallel link elements interconnected by aplurality of pivot posts.

3. The security device of claim 1 wherein the hollow housing possesses acylindrical configuration having a closed end.

4. The security device of claim 1 wherein one end of the chain means isimmovably attached to the housing and the other end is adapted to bemovable relative thereto.

5. The security device of claim 4 wherein said lock means includes alinkage means for moving the other end of the chain means.

6. The security device of claim 5 wherein the other end of the chainmeans is movable from a position spaced from said one end of the chainmeans in the facilitate manipulation thereof.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTEFICATEE 0F CORREQTEON Patent 3,744,284Dated July 10; 1973 Inventor s) CARL G WALDENSTROM It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4 line 51, f'inororized" should read motorized Signed and sealedthis 25th day of December 1973.

( E Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETCHER,JR i 4 RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer ActingCommissionerof Patents FORM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-5 69 u.sGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 0-366-334.

1. A security device for surrounding lockable attachment to the kingpinof a trailer to prevent unauthorized coupling to a mororized vehiclecomprising a hollow housing having an opening for receiving a kingpin ofa trailer in surrounding relationship thereto, lock means mounted withinthe housing for lockable attachment of the housing to the kingpin, saidlock means including chain means movable from an unlocked position outof contact with the kingpin on which the housing is mounted to a lockedposition in contact with the kingpin to secure the housing thereto, andsaid chain means when in a locked position surrounding a substantialportion of the periphery of the kingpin.
 2. The security device of claim1 wherein the chain means includes a plurality of pairs of parallel linkelements interconnected by a plurality of pivot posts.
 3. The securitydevice of claim 1 wherein the hollow housing possesses a cylindricalconfiguration having a closed end.
 4. The security device of claim 1wherein one end of the chain means is immovably attached to the housingand the other end is adapted to be movable relative thereto.
 5. Thesecurity device of claim 4 wherein said lock means includes a linkagemeans for moving the other end of the chain means.
 6. The securitydevice of claim 5 wherein the other end of the chain means is movablefrom a position spaced from said one end of the chain means in thelocked position to a position adjacent said one end in an unlockedposition.
 7. The security device of claim 5 wherein the linkage means isoperatively connected to an exteriorly accessible lock mechanism.
 8. Thesecurity device of claim 1 further comprising abutment means mounted inthe housing for contacting an end of the kingpin and limit the depth ofpenetration thereof in the housing.
 9. The security device of claim 1further comprising handle means attached to the exterior of the housingto facilitate manipulation thereof.